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‘Night of Pleasure’

BOOK BLURB: An arranged marriage is daunting, but not as daunting as seducing a spouse whose passions you do not understand…

Derek Charles Holbrook, Viscount Banfield, knew his fate since he was seventeen when his father announced his union to the beautiful but mysterious American girl by the name of Miss Grey. To protect the troubled estate, Derek submits to his father’s wishes, not realizing he’s about to entangle himself in a hell of a lot more than marriage.

Miss Clementine Henrietta Grey may be worth millions, but not a single coin has ever bought her a smidge of happiness. When she marries the charasmatic and dashing Viscount Banfield, whose only strife in life appears to be the uneven seams in his coat, she finds that siring the heir he wants requires far more than her heart is prepared to give.

Unable to seduce his overly-serious and reluctant wife, Derek realizes his dreams of creating a loving family has turned into a nightmare. But with the unexpected assistance of a retired courtesan and her outrageous school, Derek and Clementine discover that passion is a language spoken not just from the body, but from the mind, heart and soul.

REVIEW: Delilah Marvelle is one of my favorite authors and her books are greatly anticipated by me. When I heard that she was continuing her School of Gallantry series, I literally went and bought all the earlier books so I could be brought up to date with all the characters in it. By the way, you don’t have to run out and do the same. Each of these stories is well written as a standalone, but if you want to know the origins behind the school of gallantry, you should get them all.

As usual Ms. Marvelle does an excellent job in creating characters that are fun, witty and passionate about life. I adored Derek, the hero of this tale. How could I not to?! When first we meet him, he’s just a young ‘randy’ man and so charming and personable. I loved the way he falls for Clementine, heart and soul, as soon as he lays eyes on her.

Clementine’s character was much complex and her relationship with her father, as well as her feelings about the relationship he had with her mother, was something she carried deep within her and the fear of passion in any capacity was something she avoided like a plague.

They both needed the School of Gallantry to point them in the right direction and eradicate their mutual fears, his of overwhelming her with his all-consuming passion for her, and hers of being consumed by his passion to a point where she may turn into what her mother was. Both needed to allow the other full access of each others feelings, good and bad, in order to successfully become one.

I also loved the secondary character of Clementine’s friend, Nasser. What a great character he was. I greatly admired Clementine’s loyalty to him and the scenes between all three, especially the ones between Derek and Nasser, are sweet, caring, sad and funny all at the same time.

This is another well-written, emotional, fast-paced and very sensual story of two young, strong and complex beings that need each other badly to be complete.

I love all Ms. Marvell’s books, but honestly, out of all her heroes, Derek just took my breath away! I hope you give him a try. Loved it!!!

*Melanie for b2b.

*Book provided by the publisher.

AUTHOR BIO:Delilah Marvelle is the winner of the Reviewer’s Choice for Best Sensual Historical Romance of the Year and had Booklist name her historical romance ‘Forever and a Day’ one of the TOP 10 Romances of the year.

When she isn’t writing, she’s digging through inappropriate research books that include anything in history having to do with courtesans, brothels, sexual contraptions that were never properly used and other fascinating forms of dirty history that never made it into college textbooks. You can visit her at her website at:

Lady Jane left her father, the Earl of Chadwick, and the ton behind to experience life on the stage. After a disastrous marriage, the widow is living on the edge of poverty, determined to guard her heart, when a secret admirer from her past demands a second chance.

Shy and retiring Martin Nicholas Pierce, the Sixth Duke of Somerset, has carried a torch for Lady Jane since her youth, but he is five years her junior. When she married another man, he left for Europe, determined to put her out of his mind. After returning to find Lady Jane free, he vows to replace the memories of her cursed Twelfth Night with a new beginning.

STORY: The Twelve Days of Seduction By Máire Claremont

Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford, is aware his ward’s governess isn’t quite what she seems. Although Miss Flint is beautiful and intelligent, she misrepresented herself to gain employment, and he threatens to give her the sack mere days before Christmas.

Desperate to convince the sexy duke not to tear her from the little girl she’s grown to adore, Adriana challenges him to seduce her before the Twelve Days of Christmas have come to an end, although she fears it may cost her heart. Alexander accepts the challenge, unconcerned that he has as much to lose, if not more, than the delectable Miss Flint.

REVIEW: ‘Merry Christmas Mrs. Robinson’ by Delilah Marvelle

This story was extra special to me because of its pairing of the older woman/younger man. In my personal life, I am the older woman…

Lady Jane was only in her early twenties when she decided, and was encouraged by her younger friend Martin, to defy the society and reach for her dream of becoming an opera singer. A decision like that came with a heavy price of being estranged from her family and being shunned by most of the society. I say most, because men of that society adored and pursued her relentlessly. One of them in particular caught not just her attention, but the attention of the papers as well. To all of them he was only known as Mister X and his letters were something she looked forward to, knowing that his words brought her closer to that elusive thing called love. And then one day, a man shows up and claims her heart in the name of Mister X…

Martin Pierce, the sixth Duke of Somerset, is worried about his elderly Aunt who was neglected by his family because many years ago she defied Society and ran off with a man not worthy of her station. He is trying very hard to have her see and understand that the living quarters she resides in are roach infested and not suitable to her station. Through his discussion with her, he finds out that the woman he adored and never could forget is now impoverished and residing in the same building as his Aunt. This news crushes him and he realizes that the time has come for him to act on his deep feelings for her.

It’s no secret to any of my followers how much I love anything this author writes and this short novella is no different. I loved the way she portrayed both hero and heroine as two lonely souls that connected as friends first, and lovers later.

As they grew older, they seemed to have reversed their personalities. Long ago, Martin was all of seventeen; shy and reserved young fellow with a deep feeling for an ‘older’ woman of twenty-two. The only relationship he could offer Jane was that of a friend. That, however never stopped him from secretly declaring his love for her through his letters.

Jane had been strong and forward thinking female filled with excitement and not shy at all. She believed in herself and her dreams, wanting to absorb all that life had to offer, most of all the love of a man whom she loved through his letters.

Years later, Jane’s doubts and apprehension of the intimacy she knows she wants, but isn’t sure of are now keeping her away from Martin.

Martin on the other hand is now a man to be reckoned with. Gone is the shy and timid youngster to be replaced by this gloriously handsome and love starved man who knows what he not just wants but needs with all his heart.

This is one of those stories that I’ll be rereading from year to year, that’s how good it was! My heart just went out to both of them. In this story you’ll find a bit of everything, from wit to sensuality, but romance is the driving force and I highly recommend it for many Christmases to come.

REVIEW:‘The Twelve Days of Seduction’ By Máire Claremont

This story comes to us from an author that will blow us all away when her début book comes out next year. Keep an eye on ‘The Dark Lady: A Novel of Mad Passions’ coming out February 5, 2013.

If y’all are ‘Jane Eyre’ fans, this one will be a hit for you, no question about it. For all of those that never read ‘Jane Eyre’ [or for that matter saw any version’s offered to us from many filmmakers, notably the BBC series with Toby Stephens playing Mr. Rochester, who I thought did even better job than Orson Welles], I am sure you’ll love it as well.

Adriana Flint’s understated beauty and strong character were driving force behind this story of a woman who pulled herself out of the gutter, quite literally.

She is a survivor and through sheer determination alone, she reinvents herself as this proper English miss that takes the position of a governess, to a little girl who is challenged by a limp, the Duke of Berresford’s ward. She adores the little mite and dedicates herself to teaching her ways to overcome her disability. Adriana also realizes that sooner or later, her secret identity and her ‘moonlighting’ job will be discovered and crush not only her, but two people she had come to care for so much.

Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford is a man who adores his little ward and would do anything to keep her from harm. Over a year ago he had hired her Governess and watched the little girl thrive under her care. He respected and observed the boundaries he set by ignoring his secret desire for the prim and proper young woman under his employ and protection. That, however is about to change, as he confronts her and decides to either throw her on her ear, or keep her as his mistress and far away from his home.

As they both come to an understanding that would be amicable to both, Adriana accepts his offer to become his mistress, but only if he manages to seduce her for the next twelve days. Ms. Claremont writes the rest of the story with an easy prose, fast pace and gives us a look into the romance of these two lonely but headstrong people who will make your eyes mist.

Both of these stories were written with romance in mind first and will touch your heart with its unique characters, setting and sensuality.

I am always happy when I read Ms. Marvelle’s work, but now my curiosity is peaked by the new author I discovered and am eagerly awaiting and looking forward to making room for on my Keeper shelf.

I am a ‘newbie’ to this author and while I am ‘on the hunt’ for her back list, she’s impressing the shit out of me with her new Rumor Series. It’s easily one of the best series in romance I’ve read and every book I own is a keeper. But what impressed me about Delilah Marvelle beside her writing, is how utterly charming and sweet [not to mention sexy] she is in person. She even makes me look good! People, if you’ve never read her, please try to remedy that ASAP! Check out my reviews of the Rumor Series here. Oh, and if you want to contact her, you can find her on FB, Tweeter and at A BIT O’MUSLIN blog! Okay, okay!!! Here she is!!!!

b2bMelanie: Hello Delilah! Can you tell I am ‘over the moon’ by having you stop by?!!! Tell us, are you enjoying your summer so far?

Delilah Marvelle: LOL!!! I most certainly am. I usually take the summers off, so I *really* enjoy my summers :D

b2b: How exited are you with the latest Rumor book ‘Forever a Lady’ that just came out?

DM: VERY. Especially in light of the premier showing of the BBC show COPPER. I’m hoping people will see the magic of New York City of the Five Points. I love the history behind it.

b2b: OMG! My DH is NUTS about the show! He was the one that told me about it, so now we have a TV show we can watch together. I wonder if I could talk him into reading your Rumor series ;D

It’s no news to my readers how much I enjoy reading the ‘behind the story’ notes of any book, so tell me more about your research and ‘behind the story’ of ‘FaL’…

DM: Few people know that I grew up in Chicago within a lower class, gang infested neighborhood where walking down the street in the wrong colors or a certain headband could get a girl raped or killed. I got beat up a couple of times for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I got sick of being bullied and eventually banded together a group of friends (both guys and girls) who were my age. One of them, Greg, turned out to be my best friend. He looked out for me and I looked out for him and it not only made us closer but made us realize something: we could rise above anything if we were surrounded by the right people. I eventually left that neighborhood at 13, leaving my best friend behind, and moved into a better community. Greg and I lost touch and to this day, I often wonder what happened to him. But those years spent on the street bonding with him and others who struggled to rise above the intimidation and gang violence affected my life. Forever.

Although the story of FOREVER A LADY is a nod to my favorite New York movies like Annie and Newsies and Cinderella Man, at the heart of the story, it darts into the corners of my own life and my youth. It was all too easy for me to imagine and research what life would have been like back in 1820s and 30s New York in the slums, when a man loses everything and is forced to survive against thugs. I remembered the anger, the disbelief, and the desperation of others to want to become more but unable to. I was lucky to have gotten out when I did. The hero of my story, Matthew, is an homage to my childhood. I wanted to give my best friend of old, Greg, a story. I imagined what his life turned into and wanted him to be happy. Giving him a lady who could make all of his dreams come true was part of the equation. He deserved a happily ever after and it is my hope, that with FOREVER A LADY, I did him justice. Because it doesn’t matter how you grow up, all that matters is how you come out of it and the person you become as a result of it.

Now as far as research goes, I went to New York several times to not only see the areas I was writing about (which only one building exists from my era and it wasn’t worth seeing, lol), but to access the New York City library in person that has newspapers and maps from the 1830’s that helped me flesh out the stories I was looking to write. I wanted everything in the story to be not only historically accurate but authentic. Research for FOREVER A LADY took me about 2 months.

b2b: WOW! I think you should write your memoirs! Tou know, the first ‘picture’ I had in my head when I started reading your book, was Leonardo DiCaprio and the movie ‘Gangs of New York’ which I caught again last week.

Just in case someone out there hasn’t read any of your books, [like I said, I am one of the brand, spanking new fans], would you tell us a bit about them and what’s coming up for you in the future? Will you be releasing more of your backlist or will you concentrate on the future books?

DM: I basically write really steamy and sometimes brow raising historical romances that infuses history with the idea that people in the past were no different from us. They were just surviving with a different set of societal rules. I love infusing real history, humor, adventure and anything I can cram into a book that no reader will be able to predict.

My next book coming out is FOREVER A LORD (Dec. 20th). It’s the last of the Rumor Series and features a hero who is a bare knuckle boxer who was kidnapped as a child and learns to cope with who he really is while trying to mold himself back into the world he was taken from. I have an e-release only coming out with Entangled this Nov. 1st, as well. It’s an anthology that Maire Claremont and I are doing together called ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A DUKE.

After that, I am returning to a former series of mine, The School of Gallantry, in March 2013. It’s a school led by an elderly courtesan who educates men on the topic of love and seduction. It’s cheeky, less serious and I’m just having a lot of fun knowing I’m returning to my original series. There are three more books left to write in that series.

Which one of your books was the hardest and which the easiest to write and which touched you the most?

DM: The easiest book to write was my first book, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE. It was all tongue and cheek and just flew right out of me. I had so much fun giving into bawdy humor and just letting whatever needed be said be said, lol. The hardest? I would say my upcoming release FOREVER A LORD. Whenever it comes to finishing any series, you have to ensure that you’re not only tying up all loose ends, but making the end of the series end with a bang. I’m always trying to outdo myself and needless to say, it was hard to do, but I somehow pulled it off, lol.

b2b: Which is harder to write, sensual or humor filled scenes?

DM: Surprisingly, both come easy to me. What is harder for me to write about is ensuring that the history I weave in isn’t overwhelming the reader. I love history a bit too much, and so I try to ensure whatever history I’m weaving in doesn’t burden the reader or the story too much. And that, I will admit is HARD, lol.

b2b: Do you let someone read your work during your writing process and who is that lucky person and why he/she? Or do you wait ‘till it’s finished, then you let someone read it…and who?

DM: I have two lucky people, lol. Jessa Slade (author of Seduced by Shadows) and Maire Claremont (author of The Dark Lady). Both are incredible authors who understand story but also my voice. They always ground me and what I am doing while guiding me. I can’t imagine *not* sending anything their way, because they always give me ideas and how to better mold my manuscript. It’s a mutual thing we do for each other. I give them feedback for their stories and they give me feedback for mine. It’s a beautiful thing, lol. My agent, Donald Maass, also reads my stuff and gives me incredible feedback. With the team I have behind me, I feel confident when that manuscript lands on the editor’s desk.

b2b: I think Cover Art is very important to a book, almost as much as what’s inside. Tell me about the cover art of your books. They really are gorgeous. Who came up with hem? What about the older ones?

DM: The covers are gorgeous. I was fortunate enough to have landed incredible covers every time. Harlequin has an amazing art department. That said, I don’t get any say on the covers. Whatever I see is what I get. Which is why I’m thankful they’ve been amazing. The same with my older ones. I had no say.

b2b: Let’s talk titles…How hard is it to ‘name’ your ‘baby’?

DM: As with my covers, I really don’t have too much say on the titles. If they like a title, they go with it. If they don’t, they find another title, lol. In some way, I’m thankful, because I don’t think I’m really all that good at coming up with titles. So naming my baby isn’t all that hard. I have someone else do it for me :)

b2b: We all have favorite books, authors… How about you? Are you willing to fess-up?

DM: My favorite authors are the ones I work closely with. There’s a reason why I work closely with them. Because I’m crazy about their writing. Jessa Slade is my favorite paranormal author and Maire Claremont is my favorite historical romance author. Now mind you, Maire’s first book won’t come out until Feb. 2013 with NAL, but I’ve been reading her for years, well before anyone knew who she was, lol. So I feel blessed. I will also say that my favorite books are by all the dead people. Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, to name a few. My love for history comes from writers who were actually breathing the history I now write about.

b2b: Some authors write at certain times of day or week and even a place. What’s your typical writing schedule and what gets your creative juices flowing? If you have any tips to help other aspiring new authors out there, feel free to share!

DM: I don’t write during the summers. Or at least, I try not to, as I enjoy spending the summers just hanging out with my kids. During the school year, my typical writing schedule is to get the kids out the door and start writing at 7:15 a.m. I can’t write when there are people in the house. It may sound strange, but I feel like their energy is bleeding into my ability to focus. When writing about history, one has to immerse themselves in a different world and I find it’s hard to do that when you’re surrounded by people who remind you your world is fake, fake, fake, lol. So I basically write from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. I break for lunch, but it’s usually less than 10 minutes and I go back to work. When I’m on deadline, I’ll write as much as 12 hours in a day. But I usually try to keep it to the 7:15 a.m.-4 p.m. schedule. It allows me to unwind and do stuff with my family in between the madness of writing.

b2b: The Rumor series is so well written, that it made me go out and track some of your back list to keep me going ‘till ‘FOREVER A LORD’ hits the shelves (or my Kindle)! What inspired it?

DM: A number of things. My own childhood, an old article about a missing boy who re-surfaced 30 years later, and my own love for historical New York City.

b2b: Now, that ends up our ‘professional’ portion of this interview. Are you ready to get personal? Or are you going to chicken out on me?

DM: Bring it, lol.

b2b: So, tell us a bit about yourself, something personal that you haven’t shared with anyone before…you know…anything that makes you comfortable…or not…like how many times did you fall in love? Flannel or Silk? Cats or Dogs? Champagne or Beer? Rock or Classical? Movies or TV?

DM: Bring it, lol. Okay, here’s a list of dirty laundry. I don’t drink very much, if at all. If I do, it has to be a sweet drink, because the idea of drinking anything bitter or sour grosses me out. I was a Romeo in my younger years. Meaning I was in love with the idea of being in love. I fell in love a total of two times, though, out of all my dates. The first time was my high school sweetheart and the second time was true love, with my college sweetheart and 20 years later husband ;)

I have no cats or dogs. I have two children and a husband, lol. I see them all as being my cats and dogs, I clean up after and cuddle with.

Flannel all the way. Silk makes me feel like I’m personally starving children in Africa. I don’t like spending a lot of money on bed sheets or clothing for that matter. I’m more of a bargain hunter.

Music wise, alternative all the way. I love listening to music that isn’t mainstream and comes from Europe. It makes me feel like I’m branching out creatively, too, as I use music for my writing.

Movies all the way. I’m a huge Netflix nut and movie theatre goer. Whatever I can see and get my hands on, I do.

b2b: Delilah, this was such fun! Thanks for stopping by to play :D

DM: Thanks for having me, darling!!! I have a copy of FOREVER AND A DAY and FOREVER A LADY so let’s give two people a chance to win them by answering this question: What’s your favorite New York based movie? Oh, and don’t forget to stop by my blog and enter my awesome giveaway: ONE DAY with me IN YOUR TOWN!!!